Gas-engine.



S. S. KRAYER.

GAS ENGINE.

APPLIATION FILED JAN.23,1012,

Patented May 12, 1914.

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. GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 23. 1912.

Patented May 12, 1914.

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STEPHEN S. EBAYER, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

GAS-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led January 23, 1912. Serial No. 672,978. p i

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN S. KnAYER, a citizen of `the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Gas-Engme, of which the following is a'speciication.

This invention relates to gas engines, and consists in the novel design, arrangement and combinat-ion of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple, durable and economical gas motor, equipped with a single rotary valve element which controls the gas inlet and exhaust ports of a plurality of piston cylinders, thus obviating the well recognized disadvantages incident to the usual spring actuated valves, .cam shafts, rocker arms, et cetera, common in gas engines of usual eonstruetion. l

Another object is to provide sultable and simple means for operating the above-mentioned valve element, so that it will operate positively and in unison with the coperating parts in performing the4 functlon attributed to it.

Other objects and advantages are to be attained by my present invention, whichwill be apparent to those skilled in .the art to which it appertains, without specific mention thereof.

Inthe drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views, Figure l is a horizontal sectional view of the engine, disclosing the pistons, the gas inlet passages, and the cooperating rotary valve element, the gear connections between the crank shafts, and between the driven shaft and the valve actuat ing shaft, being shown in dotted lines; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view substantially on the line a-a of Fig. 1 illustrating all the essential details of .construction of my improved engine; Figs. 3 and 4t are detailhorizontal sectional views, showing respectively, the gas inlet passages, and the exhaust passages to and from the several cylinders, and the manner in which the cylinders are disposed about the central chamber or valve case, wherein the rotary valve element is mounted; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the lvalve element; Figs 6, 7, 8 and 9 are diagrammatic views, illustratin the position of `the pistons in the severa cylinders, and the corresponding position of the rotary valve element; and Fig. 10 is a detail vertical sectional view of the rotary valve'l element, showing the intake port of one cylinder, and the exhaust port of another adjacent cylinder open.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, I have shown the en- Patented May 12,1 1914.

gine mounted in a vertical position, and in designating the various views I have refcrred to the horizontal and vertical sections of the engine merely for designating the views, and it will be understood, therefore, that the engine may be mounted in either position, and that I do not in any sense' limit myself to any particular mounting of the engine, but that my improved engine Will operate as effectively in one position as in another, and therefore, that it may be used in automobiles, for marine purposes or as a stationary engine, in short for any purpose for whichA the ordinary gas motor may be used.

Referring to the drawings the engine casing l, contains a plurality of piston cylinders A, B, C, and D, and a central tubular passage or chamber 2, constituting a valve case, and about which the several piston ,cylinders are arranged in a rectangular serles in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1. Between the chamber 2 and the piston cylinders are intel-communicating passages 3 and 4, arranged one above the other, and separated by a wall. The upper passage 3 constitutes an inlet passage from the' chamber 2 tothe cylinders for the admission of gas from a remote source of gas supply, not shown, to said piston cylinders, and the lower passage 4 provides an exhaust passage or means of4 egress for the products of combustion resulting from the explosion of gas in the cylinders, from said cylinders to atmosphere. A bushing 5 is seated in a threaded orifice in the upper part of the engine casing 1, ad-

jacent to the upper end of the chamber or passage 2, and constitutes a means for connecting a pipe or passage for the introduction of gas from the source of supply into the upper end of said chamber 2. An outlet pipe or passage 6 leads from the lower.

end of the chamber or passage 2 through the wall of the crank shaft case to the atmosphere as clearly appears by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings, through which the gases and other products of combustion accumulating in the lower part of the chamber '2 may freely exhaust. The walls of the engine casing surrounding the upper part of the cylinders and the valve case are double forming awater. jacket 7, whereby overheating of these parts of the engine may be prevented.

To the lower part'of the engine casing 1 is removably attached a crank case 8, in whichv the crank shafts 9 are incased, the ends thereof being journaled in suitable bearings Aformed in said case. Said crank shafts 9' are each provided with two'crank y-arins 10, rigid with said shafts, and disposed on opposite sides thereof, .and alsodisposed .with respect to' one another 1n such a manner that whenv the arm on one crank shaft is up, the arm on-the other in the same power shaft as indicated at 14 in Fig. 1.

A projection 15 formed integral with the engine casing 1 extends downwardly therefrom and constitutes a bearing for the vertical shaft 16, which extendsl into the valve chamber 2. The shaft 16 is operatively connected by a suitable chain of gearing, to the driven shaft, which chain comprises a spur gear 17 rigid on the driven shaft, which meshes with a gear wheel 18 carried on the shaft 19; said shaft being journaled in the crank case 8. The shaft 19 also carries,

i rigid thereon, a beveled gear 20, which gear meshes with a coperating beveled gear 21 ailixed to the lowerend of the shaft 16. The

ratioof the gears comprising the chain Ais such that the rotation of the driven shaft corresponds with the rotation of the shaft 16, that is to say, the rotation of the two shafts is simultaneous in action.

The valve element 22 is rigidly affixed to the upper end of said shaft 16, and is actuated thereby. The valveelement 22,i1lustrated in detail in Figs. 5 and 10, comprises preferably a tubular body portion, whose exterior diameter withl respect to the .in-

terior of the chamber 2 is such that it fitsv closely therein preventing the escape of gas through the passage 2, and yet of suiiciently less diameter than the passage so that it may revolve freely, when the engine is in operation. The valve element 22 is divided into two compartments by the wall or partition 23. In the wall of the lower compartment is formed an orifice 24:, and in the wall of the upper compartment an orifice 25, the openings being ninety degrees apart,

so that when the upper opening, which constitutes the gas inlet, registers with the intake passage of one of the cylinders, the, opening in the lower compartment will register with the exhaust passage of the adjacent cylinder, as will clearly appear by reference to Fig. 10 of the drawings.

By a reference to the diagrammatic views (Figs. 6, v7 8 and '9) the operation of the engine may be readily comprehended. Taking Fig. 6 for a basis of description, the inf 1 take port of cylinder A is shown in a position, with respect to the inlet port of the valve element, at which the two openings are about to register at which time gas from the upper part of the chamber 2 begins to pass into .the .cylinder A. The piston is up, and has just started on its downward stroke, which action draws the gas into the said cylinder. 'It may be assumed that there has been one complete rotation of the valve element 22, so that as shown in t-he view referredto, cylinder B has been charged, the charge compressed and exploded, which last noperation leaves the piston down, and about r stroke. The opening in they to start an u lower part o the valve element 22 is about to be brought into registration with the exhaust passage of cylinder B, and as the piston moves.upwardly, all the products of combustion resulting from the explosion which has just taken place, will be forcedout into the lower compartment of the valve element, thence through the passage 6 to the atmosphere. The gas in cylinder C has been compressed and is about to be exploded by the usual device for the purpose, and cylinder D has just received a charge of gas, and the piston is about to move upwardly to compress the gas. The same relative actions as'just described occur in each of the cylinders in succession, the positions of the respective parts being illustrated in t-he remaining diagrammatic views Figs. 7, 8 and j 9, which indicate the action for one complete revolution of the valve element 22. It will be readily understood, that each cylinder is charged, the charge compressed, exploded,

and exhausted at each revolution of t-he valve.

I am aware that several modifications-in the structure maybe mada-and that such changes, as for instance the increasing or diminishing the number of cylinders may be made without departing from the spirit .j and scope of the invention. I do not limit myself, therefore, to exact details, but

WhatI claim and desire to secure by Let# ters Patent is- 1. A gas engine comprising a rectangular series ofpiston cylinders, a central tubular passage between and parallel with said cylinders, a tubular valve mounted in said central passage, a partition in and dividing said valve into an upper compartment and a lower compartment, a gas inlet passage communicating with the upper end of said central passage, a single passage through the wall of said valve above said partition, a passage from said central passage to each of said cylinders with which the said passage in the valve registers successively, an exhaust passage from each of said cylinders to said cent-ral passage below said partition, a single passage in said valve adapted to register successively with said exhaust passages when said valve is rotated, a crank shaft case, a passage from said central passage through the wall of said crank shaft case, a crank shaft journaled in said .crank shaft case, a shaft entrained with said crank shaft, and extending into said central passage and being connected to the partition in said valve, substantially as specified.

2. In a gas engine, an integral unitary structure comprising a rectangular series of iston cy 'nders, and a central combined inet and ex aust passage integrally supported parallel with said cylinders, and a separate inlet and outlet passage between each of said cylinders and said central passage, in combination with a crank shaft case, a crank shaft journaled in said case, pistons mounted in said cylinders and arranged to drive said crank shaft, a passage communicating with said central passage and extending through the wall of said crankshaft case, a shaft journaled in the wall of said passage extending into said central passage, a valve attached to said shaft in said central passage and arranged to control the said inlet and exhaust passages of said cylinders, and gearing entraining said shaft with said crank shaft, substantially as specified.

3, In an engine, a. casting comprising a fcentral tubular valve case, a rectangular series of piston cylinders in said casting integral with said valve case, inlet passages arranged in the same plane from said valve case of said cylinder, respectively, exhaust passages arranged in the same plane from said cylinders` respectively, to said valve case, and a water-jacket surrounding the upper part of said piston cylinders and said valve case, in combination with a tubular valverevolubly mounted in said valve case, a partition in said valve dividing it into an upper and lower chamber, a passage in said valve above said partition arranged to register with said inlet passages successively when said valve is rotated, a passa e in said valve below said partition arrange to regis7 ter with said exhaust passages successively when said valve is rotated, a crank case, an exhaust passage leading from the lower end of said valve case through the wall of said crank case, a crank shaft journaled in said crank case, and a vertical shaft extending into the valve case and 'having ailixed to its upper end the said tubular valve, and having gear connection at its lower end with said crank shaft, substantially as specified.

4. In a gas engine, the combination with a plurality of engme cylinders arranged about and parallel with a central passage, and separate inlet and outlet passages between each of said cylinders and said central passage, of a valve in said central passage provided with a partition therein, a passage in the wall of said valve on one side of said partition adapted to register with the inlet passages to said cylinders, a second passage through the wall of saidvalve on the opposite side of said partition adapted to register with .the exhaust passages leading from said cylinders, a supply passage entering one end of said central chamber, an exhaust passage leading from the opposite end of said centralpassage, and mechanical connections for operating said valve, substantially as specified.

In witness whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:

NELSON THOMAS, L. C. KINGSLAND.

Copies of this patent :hay be obtained for iive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

